


Something Like Grace

by Grandpas_Cheesebarn



Series: Transformers and You [3]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Accidental kidnapping, Adorable Eldritch Horror Bot, Age Regression/De-Aging, Crack Treated Seriously, Cute Kids, Daddy Soundwave, Domestic Fluff, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Humor, Kid Fic, Kidnapping, Light Angst, Light Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Team as Family, cyborg, not in that way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2018-12-31 02:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12122559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grandpas_Cheesebarn/pseuds/Grandpas_Cheesebarn
Summary: One moment, you were there. The next moment, there was a very surprised sparkling in your place. Shockwave took that instant to turn to you. You looked up at him ruefully, before the purple plating of his armor connected in your head to someone more familiar. You rummaged around for a name, but-- but you couldn't think of anything. Except."Daddy?" You asked. Shockwave slowly pressed the emergency button to summon Soundwave.





	1. Daddy

**Author's Note:**

> So basically the prompt was, "what if the reader got turned into a toddler transformer"  
> And obviously we couldn't just ignore that. So the brave heroes Toastee and Gramps did slay the dragon and produce a gift most fair.
> 
> I should note, the slash relationship does _not_ carry over to the de-aging. We may have written the word 'daddy' far too many times, but it's not like that you weirdos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch every single chapter title be a different way to say dad

No one understood what happened. One moment, you were fine; the next moment, you were a small sparkling. Well, that wasn't technically what had happened. The real version was slightly more complicated.

"I'm bored," You announced with a frown, swinging your legs over the edge of the table. There were various gadgets and devices strewn about, and you weren't really sure what half of them even did. 

"Acknowledged," Shockwave said, basically ignoring you. You sighed, just a little. You never really enjoyed hanging out with Shockwave, and it seemed that feeling was mutual. Such a shame too, considering his chassis was on point. You sighed again, turning to look over the table of doodads. The one closest to you was glowing blue, faintly. You turned to look back at Shockwave, who was still ignoring your existence, before returning your gaze to the fascinating glowing thing. Well, it wasn't like Soundwave was due to pick you up until a few more hours. Might as well entertain yourself, in the most irresponsible way possible.

You stood up, meandering over to the Fascinating Glowing Thing ™. There were wires all over it, and it was about twice your size. As many things were. This made you slightly miffed, so you decided to go mess with it. You fumbled, clambering up onto it and kicking a few switches as you did. There was a little fizzling sound when you accidentally kicked a button, but you decided to leave that problem to Shockwave. Probably why he didn't like you. Soon, you reached the front of the device. There was a long muzzle, and you hung upside down as you looked deep inside. Aside from the occasional energy crackle, it was perfectly-

 

 

POP

 

 

One moment, you were there. the next moment, there was a very surprised sparkling in your place, looking no more than six years old. You blinked, and felt your optics shutter. With a tilt of your head, you were looking down at the reflective surface of the lab counter. You had an adorable face, with singular rosy cheeks, and curly holographic pigtails. Your optics were big, pools of light that stared unblinkingly. Curiously, there was a seam from the edge of your mouth to your neck. You fiddled with it, but nothing happened.

Belatedly, you realized you should be worried. But as time wore on, you felt that emotion slipping away, replaced by simpler ones. Like, for example, shock. That pop had been very bright, and so you did the only thing your now young mind could think of: you cried. It wasn't anything loud, because you were also scared, and slightly cold. Just big, fat tears rolling down your facial plates, with tiny, stifled sobs. You still had enough sense of mind to feel embarrassed, a tiny feeling of indignation roiling around in your stomach. Shockwave took that moment to turn to you.

"Keep it d-" He began with a long-suffering sigh, and then he stopped. You looked up at him ruefully, before the purple plating of his armor connected in your head to someone more familiar. You rummaged around for a name, but-- but you couldn't think of anything. Except.

"Daddy?" You asked. Shockwave slowly pressed the emergency button to summon Soundwave.

One very confused minute later, Soundwave appeared, literally barreling into the room. His optics shot around as he looked for the danger, and the only unusual thing he spotted was a sparkling. A...familiar sparkling, with familiar colors.

"Daddy!" You exclaimed, standing up and hurrying over to him. Except, you went and hurried right off the edge of the table. Thankfully, Soundwave rushed over and caught you, causing you to squeal as your earlier shock was forgotten. You remembered him fondly, and so he must have been someone important. And, the most important thing you could think of was 'daddy'. 

Meanwhile, Soundwave was just wondering why you were calling him daddy. And also why you were a Cybertronian, and a young one at that. 

" _Shockwave, report_ ," Soundwave demanded. Shockwave went over and retrieved the device from before, which had ended up on the floor during your fall and was thus shattered.

"It appears that _it_ managed to get into my things," Shockwave noted with derision. Soundwave shifted you around in his arms, and you took the time to babble happily as you touched his faceplate.

" _Can you fix it_?" Soundwave asked, nodding to the shattered device. Shockwave made a noncommittal noise.

"Give me some time," Was all he said, before setting the now obsolete gadget down and returning to his project from before. Soundwave left the room with a tiny frown behind his mask, and one exuberant little sparkling in his arms.

"Daddy, daddy look!" You exclaimed, pointing to your optics. Soundwave did as he was asked, and watched as you fumbled for a moment. Then, a blue visor descended over your optics, and you gave a beaming smile.

"Yaaaas!" You cheered, before quietly trying to figure out how to put the visor back away. It was only fitting that Starscream took that moment to appear.

"Soundwave, I-" He began, then he saw you, "Oh. Er, who is that?" 

Your now visor-free optics dilated as soon as you saw Starscream.

"No," You stated. Starscream blinked.

"No?" He replied.

"No!" You stated again, crossing your arms. That was the end of the conversation.

"...No," Starscream said slowly, questioning tone in his voice as he turned to look at Soundwave with a smarmy grin on his face, "I didn't realize you were _expecting."_

" _It appears that it managed to get into my things_ ," Shockwave's voice played over, and Starscream listened. He chuckled nervously, inching closer to you.

"By _it_ , I don't suppose he meant..." Starscream trailed off, staring at you. You turned back to look at him.

"I thought you were taller," You told him, sticking your tongue out slightly with a furrowed optic ridge. 

"Yes, that's her," Starscream decided. He turned back to Soundwave, a devious smile on his face, "Allow me to take her off your hands for a while- wait, come back here when I'm talking to you!"

Soundwave just kept walking. You waved over his shoulder at the now indignant Starscream.

"Daddy, lemme go. Wanna walk, daddy, lemme go," You squirmed, noodling around in Soundwave's arms. He gently set you down onto the ground, and you reached a servo upwards. Carefully, he took your servo in his, and you began to walk. Soundwave directed you to the medical bay as you walked, and he ignored the surprised stares of the Vehicons and Eradicons. 

" _Knock Out_ ," Soundwave called as he entered the med-bay. A moment later, the red medic appeared. He looked slightly perturbed, as if Soundwave was an unpleasant surprise. Which was probably the case.

"Do you need something?" Knock Out inquired, optic ridge raised questioningly and his usual hint of boredom in his voice. That is, until he saw you. Instantly, he dropped down, a genuine smile on his face.

"Hello there, beautiful. What are you doing walking around with a mech like this?" Knock Out smiled. You laughed and let go of Soundwave's hand, deciding to walk up to the medic in front of you. He was red, and tall, and his face was warm. 

"Papa!" You greeted. You really didn't know what that word meant. Meanwhile, Knock Out's face dropped, and he suddenly had a very confused stare in his optics. 

"Soundwave, why is your daughter calling me papa?" Knock Out asked in a suspicious voice. 

" _It appears that it managed to get into my things_ ," Shockwave's voice informed. Knock Out hummed for a moment, still looking at you.

"So, this is her?" He asked. Soundwave nodded slightly.

"Kid, why are you calling me papa?" Knock Out sighed. You thought about it for a moment, before turning to Soundwave.

"Daddy, up," You commanded, raising your arms. Knock Out stopped, staring.

"She calls you daddy," Knock Out said slowly, optics wide. His smile grew, and he would have fallen into bouts of laughter if not for the sudden feeling of doom that washed over him as Soundwave glared. 

" _Medical examination, please_ ," Soundwave asked, though it was more of a statement, as he gently pushed you forward. You frowned.

"I guess," You whined, kicking the floor. Knockout smiled again and picked you up, taking you into the medical bay.

"Breakdown, we have a visitor!" He called. Moments later, Breakdown appeared, medical bag in hand. He didn't expect to see the sparkling that was you. 

"Look! Shockwave's bumbling turned her into a cute little sparkling," Knock Out explained as he set you down on the table. Breakdown was only slightly surprised. He was more concerned about the fact that Soundwave was standing right behind Knockout, looming. 

" _And you had better be careful_ ," Soundwave warned. Knock Out waved him off.

"Don't worry, it's just a checkup," Knock Out smiled, then scoffed, "Nothing like that hack-job Ratchet."

Upon hearing the name Ratchet, you frowned. Your memories of that name were white and red, and old. Like, super old.

"Grandpa," You stated reverently.

"...Did she just call him grandpa?" Breakdown asked. Knock Out nodded slowly, a smirk on his face. Then, he shook his head and turned back to you, pulling out a data pad.

"Well, beautiful, can you tell me your name?" Knock Out asked, mostly for formality. You swung your legs.

"Uh?" You smiled. In the back of your mind, something told you this question was important, "Sonata."

"Sonata?" Knock Out raised an optic ridge. He turned to Soundwave.

"I can do this!" You announced decisively, opening your mouth as wide as possible. Which, wasn't very much. It was kind of adorable, and Knock Out humored you with a smile. Then, slowly, the seams connecting to your neck began to disengage, and your jaw unhinged horrifyingly. That would have been disturbing in and of itself, had a mess of sharpened teeth not slid out as well. They grew, until your head was forced all the way back and your mouth was opened large enough to easily chomp down on the heads of mechs young and old.

There was an incredible silence. Knock Out's face was frozen in surprise. Breakdown looked impressed. Soundwave shifted uneasily. Then, as if that were not enough, you began to scream.

It was not a normal scream, because you weren't being very loud in the traditional sense. It was a sonic scream, designed to paralyze and subdue. And you had turned it up to full volume. If one listened past the pain, they might hear the sound of a female voice harmonizing- like a sonata. 

Unfortunately for everyone in the room, they were not prepared. Knock Out and Breakdown doubled over, while Soundwave stumbled from shock. Thankfully, Soundwave's own blasters were designed with the same frequency, and so he easily shrugged it off after a moment. Then, he lowered himself down and placed a single digit on your mouth, shushing you. Instantly, the sound blast stopped, and your mouth returned to normal, and your eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry," You gasped, hurrying over to the edge of the table where Knock Out had fallen, dazed. 

"That's alright," He eventually managed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toastee: okay so like, she opens her mouth but it's like a deadspace necromorph  
> Gramps: Jesus Christ.


	2. Papa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics in Soundwave's dialogue is my way of saying that he's using a recording. Saying it's a recording every time gets redundant.

"Sonata Shock," Was your official name on the system records, after Knock Out and Breakdown could hear again. 

The official reports listed several other things. Firstly, your physical appearance. Your design was sleek, like a seeker, and the little wings on your back were testament to that. However, you had more of a human appearance than a normal sparkling-- for good reason. Your face had large optics, a human nose, and a small mouth. Your head had two holographic pigtails, bouncing in a nonexistent wind. Your only weapons were your teeth, and your sound blaster, located next to your voice processor-- which gave the impression of screaming. 

As for your memories, there wasn't much they could find. They existed in a blurry sense, all rushing together to try and find their places in your new brain. Your insistence on calling Soundwave daddy was hilarious, but not very informative. Though you did enjoy energon cookies.

"Well, she's a perfectly healthy sparkling, if that's your concern," Knock out explained, typing something down, "But aside from what I found, there isn't anything else. Of course, there's still some tests processing, but they likely won't reveal anything major. She's perfectly normal."

Soundwave frowned. He didn't consider this normal. 

"Soundwave, report to the bridge. Immediately," Megatron demanded over the comm system. Soundwave quickly scooped you up, ignoring your dismayed cries as you were carried out of the medical bay. 

"Daddy, no. Lemme go. Where're we goin'?" You yawned, going limp in his arms. 

"Shhh," Soundwave quieted you. You fumbled around a little more until you found a comfortable position, at which you promptly fell asleep. Soundwave marveled. 

" _Lord Megatron_ ," Soundwave bowed as he walked into the bridge. Megatron was sitting in his usual seat, but this time he was simply staring. Judging.

"Soundwave, I was told that you had brought a sparkling onboard," Megatron stated with the tone of someone who was not at all happy, "I chose not to believe this...rumor. But it appears that I've been proven wrong."

Soundwave shivered. In his arms, you stirred, a cold feeling in your spark. You squirmed, just a little, until Soundwave tightened his hold and you stopped. Something was wrong.

"I didn't think my third in command would try and keep secrets from me," Megatron frowned. Soundwave, for the first time in many solar cycles, felt panic. 

"Truly, you are the most disloyal of the Decepticons. To try and keep secrets from our venerable leader," Suddenly, Starscream. Soundwave quickly settled on a recording to try and explain.

"No!" You shouted. The already tense room fell completely silent. You dropped from out of Soundwave's grasp, and hurried over to where Starscream stood. With all of your might, you rammed into his leg. Then, you fell backwards, landing on your behind. Angry tears welled up in your eyes.

"Lemme go! Daddy, run daddy, run! Lemme go, 'Scream! No!" You yelled as Starscream picked you up. He held you awkwardly, his servos under your arms as you kicked and squirmed. Megatron watched, slightly fascinated. But, more importantly, he recognized that voice. Slowly, he turned to Soundwave, who was obviously torn between helping and remaining still.

"Soundwave. Why does this sparkling sound like-" Megatron began. He stopped when there was a loud thud, followed by a screech. Starscream lay on the floor, fallen, as you stood on his chassis and shouted in victory.

"My name is Sonata Shock! You're a bad uncle!" You told Starscream. Starscream was too dazed to stop you as you jumped off of him and ran over to Megatron.

"Are you my daddy too? You look scary. Are you okay?" You babbled, staring up at him. Then, you raised your arms up, "Up! Lemme up. Wanna go up. Please lemme up, Da."

Megatron picked you up, setting you on his lap. You looked at his teeth.

"Teeth? Looka mine. Like yours," You smiled, before horrifically unhinging your jaw and saying 'aaaaaah'. Disproportionately large fangs jutted out from both the top and bottom, as you opened your mouth as far as possible. Your jaw slid back with a whir of metal, and your gaping maw could easily chow down on the head of an adult mech. Megatron felt some vague sense of existential terror, and Starscream shuffled away with a tiny scream.

"It was Shockwave's fault," Starscream eventually spat out, once Soundwave managed to convince you to stop terrifying everyone. Suddenly, the tension in the room disappeared, "He was supposed to be keeping an eye on her, but he obviously didn't, and now she's a sparkling."

There was silence. Megatron looked vaguely angry, but what else was new. 

"Has anyone seen Sonata?" Came a sleepy voice. Knock Out wandered into the bridge, "I found something in her tests..."

Knock Out trailed off when he saw the odd scene before him. 

"Is this a bad time?" He eventually asked. 

"What did you find?" Megatron raised an optic ridge. Knock Out squirmed under his gaze. Shuffled the data pad around.

"Well, she's completely healthy, physically. She's on track for a frame upgrade within normal time," Knock Out explained, "But, she's giving off unstable spark signals. As of now, I'm not certain if it's something that will go away with proper carrier exposure, or if her condition will deteriorate," Knock Out continued, "Her spark signals should be able to match with Soundwave, making him a viable carrier substitute-- for the time being."

Starscream's grin grew, and he snickered. Knock Out rolled his optics.

"That means she can't be too far away from him, or she'll die," Knock Out shot a glare at Starscream, who stopped laughing. 

"Well, it's not like it'll be hard. He's already so attached to her- ow!" Starscream was cut off as you threw a tablet at his face. 

"No!" You shouted again. This time, you jumped down and hurried back over to Soundwave, raising your arms, "Up. Wanna go up. Let's go to bed. 'M tired."

Soundwave dutifully picked you up, and you promptly decided to fall asleep. 

"Clear your off-ship schedule until this is sorted," Megatron told Soundwave, "I don't want her hurt in any way. That means you, Starscream."

"Me? Never," Starscream feigned innocence. No one bought it. Soundwave took the opportunity to slink out of the room, making a mental note to get some processed energon for you- and to clear his schedule. He didn't want you to get hurt, and didn't need to be told twice.


	3. Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam Neeson cannot save you now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> InterstellarToaster here, just to complain about how much I hate editing the italics for Soundwave ƪ(•̃͡•̃͡ ƪ

Fate, conspiring against Soundwave, decided to play a very funny joke.

"Alert. Autobot presence detected onboard. Prepare for emergency action," The comms system announced. Soundwave stopped what he was doing and grabbed you, tucking you close to his spark as he left the room. There was sensitive data in the core room, and he needed to be there to ensure nothing happened to it. 

Soundwave hurried to the core room, rushing over to one of the many computers. Quickly, he entered in a lockdown sequence, and watched as they all shut off. You stirred in his arms, and he absentmindedly handed you one of your snacks.

"Bwaaaaaah. Where?" You sniffled, rubbing your optics. The klaxons were loud, and you folded your audio receptors in displeasure. 

"Alert. Incoming Autobots," The comms stated. From the door burst Bulkhead, looming. You dropped the energon crystal you were eating, and stared.

"Whazzat," You managed. Instantly, Bulkhead zeroed in on your presence. He stared at you, then turned to Soundwave.

"Stealing kids, huh? That's low," Bulkhead growled, before swinging his entire mass at Soundwave. The core room was large, allowing Soundwave to easily dodge, but you let out a wail of surprise. 

" _Watch it!_ " Soundwave spat. He quickly sent out a distress signal to all available nearby units. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Autobots were using their central processors, and had launched a split assault. Most units were unavailable, and none were even close. 

"Arcee! A little help?" Bulkhead shouted. A blue blur shot into the room, flanking Soundwave. He could easily take them down, but he wasn't sure if you'd be hurt in the brawl. It was obvious the Autobots didn't care for your safety.

"Look! It's a sparkling," Bulkhead explained. Arcee raised an optic ridge, and you stuck your tongue out.

"Let's get her out of here. Let her go, Soundwave," Arcee demanded. Soundwave turned, backing himself against a wall. The situation would have been fine, except that it wasn't. Soundwave held you tightly, and that's when Arcee struck. She sprung forward, intent on ripping you from Soundwave's arms. Soundwave struggled, and you found yourself too paralyzed to even cry. 

" _Let her go!_ " Soundwave shouted. Bulkhead jumped up to the side, slamming into Soundwave and causing his grip to falter. Arcee tore you from his arms, just as a blue portal appeared. Soundwave couldn't let them take you, he refused. 

"Daddy!" You wailed, kicking Arcee. Your little optics widened in time to watch as Bulkhead slammed Soundwave against a wall, restraining him. And Soundwave's optics watched as you were taken away into the ground bridge, disappearing from sight. There was silence, as the other Autobot dove into the portal, and Soundwave was left alone. 

Silence.

His Sonata was gone. 

 

And, in the silence, Soundwave roared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gramps: Can you check this chapter for me?  
> Toastee: sure  
> Toastee: did u just take this from Bioshock Infinite  
> Gramps: ...  
> Toastee: answer me u shit  
> Gramps: I'm innocent of these crimes.


	4. Da

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you mean, kidnapping a child isn't conductive to a good relationship?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I just realized that most of my stories have the Autobots in the role of the bad guy. What a twist

"Daddy! Daddy, no!" You wailed, kicking your legs against Arcee. When she didn't let you go, you opened your mouth and chomped down on her arm. Arcee cursed and dropped you, letting you fall to the unforgiving ground. From there, you stood up and tried to run to the ground bridge. The portal disappeared before you could enter, and you stomped your foot. Oil tears fell to the floor. 

"Are you alright?" Bulkhead attempted, trying to crouch down beside you. You gasped and ran to a nearby corner, cowering under a table. 

"No! Go away!" You cried, "You're a...a chode!" You settled on. 

Bulkhead shuttered his optics. The only person that ever called him that was-

"What's your name, kid?" Ratchet appeared, effectively leaning down and trying to talk to you.

"Grandpa!" You realized, reverently, "I'm...Sonata Shock."

"Well then, Sonata, do you mind coming out?" Ratchet smiled, and you nodded, crawling out and letting him hold your servo. 

"'Kay," You said. 

"Did she just call you grandpa?" Bulkhead asked. Ratchet rolled his optics.

"I've been in this business longer than you've been online, Bulkhead. She's in shock," Ratchet explained, "And she can't be all that old. She doesn't even look old enough to be without her carrier."

"I bet they kidnapped her," Bulkhead growled. Ratchet let out a long suffering sigh.

"Where did you find her?" Ratchet finally asked. He was used to dealing with this shit.

"On the Nemesis. Soundwave was holding her," Arcee explained, going to the medical bay to get her new arm bite tended to. 

"Soundwave is my daddy," You nodded. The room went silent. 

"His readings were always consistent for that of a carrier," Ratchet eventually said, resting a finger on the bridge of his nose, "it makes sense."

"Yaaas," You whispered. 

"Did we just kidnap Soundwave's kid?" Bulkhead asked the million dollar question.

"Oh?" Suddenly, Optimus Prime. He walked in, optic ridge raised. Bumblebee was off to the side, but instantly rushed over to coo over the sparkling. You let go of Ratchet's hand in favor of playing with your new pal.

"Bulkhead and Arcee kidnapped Soundwave's daughter," Ratchet uttered, voice long since past the point of being done with this shit. It was the tone of disbelief.

"Did they now?" Optimus managed, turning to look at Bulkhead and Arcee. They both looked sufficiently chagrined.

"Well, we thought they kidnapped her?" Bulkhead attempted. Ratchet was at the end of his infinite patience.

"Who would they have even kidnapped her from?" Ratchet eventually strangled out, voice high pitched with disbelief. Bulkhead shrugged.

"So that's why she bit me," Arcee hummed, looking at her arm. 

"Autobots..." Prime began, "I am very disappointed in you."

While Optimus gave his dad speech, you sat in a corner next to Bumblebee. Your earlier concerns about being kidnapped were momentarily forgotten, as the yellow bot chirped at you. 

"Bee," You whispered, saying the name, "Beeeeeee."

Bumblebee was very excited, and as such the little wing doors on his back fluttered. You gasped, before turning to look at your own wings. They didn't move, so you turned and clambered up Bee's back.

"Whazzat?" You asked, grabbing onto a wing. It fluttered, and you gasped, "Like a beeeeee."

You dropped down, and stared back at him. Some nugget of knowledge made itself known.

"You're like a bee, cause your mom and dad were different," You nodded, "But that's okay. I have like...five dads," You counted on your fingers, "Like, so many dads."

Bumblebee nodded, but he didn't really understand. He was more concerned that you were so young, and without your carrier. He was pretty sure that was a bad thing. 

"Woah, who's that?" Came a voice off to the side. Suddenly, the three teenagers appeared. You frowned. Distantly memories tugged at your mind, recalling being kidnapped by them at one point. There was a lot of screaming, and Knock Out was there. Kinda. 

"No!" You shouted, standing up. At full height, you were a fair bit taller than the teens. You glared, before running in the opposite direction.

"Prime! Prime, where's daddy?" You demanded, hitting Optimus' leg, "Wanna go home. Wanna go home now!" 

Optimus looked down at you, his face set in an expression of worry. and genuine concern.

"We're going to get you home very soon, Sonata," He explained, crouching down beside you. You sniffled, your earlier anger dissipating as tears began to well up in your eyes. Optimus frowned, before offering you his servo.

"Would you like me to show you around?" He asked. You sniffled, before raising your arms up.

"Want up," You decided. Optimus smiled and picked you up, and you managed to marvel at how warm he was as he tucked you close to his spark. And, he was really nice. Like, so nice. That could only mean one thing, in your mind: "Papa Prime."

And so, Prime showed you around the Autobot base, and you quietly ignored the weird feeling your spark was giving you- it felt cold. Very cold. You wondered who turned down the AC...


	5. Pa

Meanwhile, miles away, the Nemesis was silent. Soundwave sat in the medical bay, as Knockout absentmindedly treated some of his wounds. Or maybe there weren't any wounds, maybe they were both too far away to even realize that. Knockout was the one to break the silence.

"I redid the calculations. We have about a day or so to find her," Knockout stated, slowly putting some tools away, "The longer we wait to change her back, the more damage it will cause her."

Breakdown stood stoically beside him, looking more grumpy than usual.

" _Daddy, wan' up!_ " Soundwave offered no input beside a recording of your tiny, insistent voice. It was very depressing. 

Knockout had been the one to find Soundwave, sitting in the core room. From there, they went to the medical bay, where Knockout learned what had happened. It was only a matter of time until...

"Knockout, I am in need of some patching up," Starscream strode in. He quickly noticed the mood, "Oh. Where's the little gremlin?"

There was silence. 

"Anyone?" Starscream frowned.

More silence.

" _Let her go_!" Came the recording. From there, the recording continued, playing the sounds of an intense fight and struggle. Then came your scream, and the silence. Starscream listened intently, his scowl only deepening.

"And you let them take her?!" He screeched, glaring daggers at Soundwave, "And now you're sitting here, like a useless scrap heap?!"

Soundwave stood up, unfolding himself and rising. Starscream didn't back down, flaring his wingtips, and it seemed like a fight would break out. Seeing as it was his medical bay they would be fighting in, Knockout intervened. 

"Stop!" He commanded. The two mechs turned to look at him, and he sighed.

"Starscream, make yourself useful and go scout this location," Knockout frowned, pushing the data pad at the seeker. Starscream seethed, but Knockout continued undeterred, "Soundwave tracked her spark signal a while back, but we needed someone to scout it out, to make sure she's there. Think you can handle it?"

Starscream stood to his full height, extending his wings, "Of course I can!" Then, he strode out of the room, likely going to look for the location. 

"Now, _you're_ going to go see Megatron," Knockout said in a voice full of fake cheerfulness. He herded Soundwave out of the medical bay, before handing him another data pad, "And show him this. Now, please, I've got other patients to attend to."

The door slammed shut, and Soundwave was left alone in the hallway. He glanced down at the data pad in his hands, and grimaced. A day or so to live. Somehow, he felt as though it was his fault.


	6. Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gimme back my kid or I'll fight you: a novel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who taught my robot to swear.  
> AU where everything is the same except Sonata's scream is just a Spotify ad.

It had been half a day since you left Soundwave. During that time, you had been shown around the base by Papa Prime, then played with Bumblebee, and now you were going for a ride with Ratchet. But throughout the whole time, you felt your chest constricting. Even in your tiny mind, you knew that something was wrong. A familiar word burned on the tip of your tongue.

"Fuck," You chirped. It felt fitting, as your spark steadily grew colder. 

"You okay back there?" Ratchet asked, bumping along down the road. 

"Yep. Thanks, grandpa!" You nodded, staring out the window. You were a little ways out of Jasper, but still pretty close to the base. The desert was really pretty, and made you sleepy. There was a comfortable silence, before you spoke.

"Grandpa. My spark's been feeling funny," You mentioned, frowning as you touched your spark chamber. 

Ratchet slowed to a stop, transforming. He caught you in mid-air and set you down, frowning.

"Funny how?" He inquired, optics furrowed in concern. You stared up at him, and suddenly your gaze had all the weight and knowledge of someone who had lived many, many years. 

"I think I'm dyin'," You whispered, "'S cold."

Ratchet followed your servos to your spark chamber, and let out a vaguely terrified sound.

"Scrap," He cursed. He whisked you up into the air, holding you in his arms as he starred intently at your spark chamber area. A green visor slid over his optics, followed by a distant beeping sound. You yawned, and turned to look up at the sky.

"Cool," You whispered as a red and grey jet shot by. And then it turned back around, and flew by again. Then a third time. What a familiar jet.

 

 

Meanwhile, up in the clouds, Starscream radioed in.  
"Location has been confirmed. If that _Autobot_ wasn't guarding her, I'd take care of this myself," Starscream noted with derision as he flew overhead. Far below, you waved up at him. 

"Acknowledged. Return to base," Came a voice over the comms system. Starscream hesitated, debating whether or not he could fight the medibot one and one and get you back- before thinking better of it, and flying off. For once, he stuck to the plan. 

 

 

"Bye bye, 'Scream," Went your gentle voice as you waved. Ratchet glanced up at the sky, finding nothing.

"Let's get you back to base," He decided, transforming and rolling out.

The ride back to base wasn't as eventful or interesting as before. In fact, the moment you entered the base, Ratchet transformed and hurried you over to a Prime. Like you were a baby that had made a stinky.

"Optimus, we've got a situation," He stated, basically dropping you into Optimus' arms. You squirmed.

"What is it, old friend?" Optimus asked, surprised. Though he made sure to cradle you as he did. 

"She's dying," Ratchet explained, rushing off to a nearby computer. This was news to Optimus, who hadn't even known anything was wrong with you. You'd only been with them for half a day- was he really that bad of a parent? 

"Her spark signal is fluctuating, which might be because she was separated from her carrier too early," Ratchet reentered the room, typing away at a data pad, "If she stays away for much longer, she'll die," Ratchet paused, shaking his head sadly, "Our only option is to try and let them retrieve her. I don't like it, but it's the only choice we have."

"Are we just going to let them take her?" Jack whined, sitting on the edge of a table.

" _We_ kidnapped _her_ ," Arcee reminded him. 

"What if we just kept her?" Miko suggested, mashing some video game buttons, "she's kinda like a puppy."

"Well, they said she'd die..." Bulkhead trailed off with an unsatisfied frown.

"Are you sure you want the Decepticons to raise her?" Raf murmured. 

Bumblebee let out a series of beeps, and a shrug. 

"I'll take her with me to a nearby clearing," Prime decided, cradling you in his arms, "Even if she will one day turn into an enemy, I cannot allow a child to die."

"We'll go with you," Arcee offered, as Bulkhead added, "Can't let the 'Cons grab you too."

Bumblebee gave a series of chirps and beeps. It could be roughly interpreted as, "Let me help too."

"Ooh, me too!" Miko jumped up in the air, "I am the _best_ at child-unkidnapping."

"...What she said," Jack vaguely agreed, going to stand beside the hyper teen. Raf tagged along.

"Well, I suppose if the entire team is going, I might as well come too," Ratchet grunted, already there with a medical bag, "Can't let you all hurt yourselves without my help."

"Adventure!" You proclaimed, before slumping back down sideways, your burst of energy spent, "Wan' go home."

And so Team Prime hastily left their base, rushing into a relatively open field. Meanwhile, up in the sky, a different team prepared to depart.

"Starscream, make yourself useful and prepare to disembark," Megatron barked. Starscream bowed, his face twisted in a smarmy grin.

"Of course, Lord Megatron," Starscream smiled. No one bought it.

"Shockwave, is the device ready?" Megatron demanded. There was a crackle over the audio systems.

"The device is operational, my lord," Shockwave confirmed. His voice held a bit of unexpressed displeasure, but what can you do.

"Excellent. Soundwave, Knockout, prepare for groundbridge transport." Megatron barked. Knockout nodded, before typing in some numbers on the console. 

"Ground bridge opening," Knockout stated. There was a flash of light as a great blue portal appeared. Megatron and Soundwave walked through, as Starscream and the other Seekers were likely already on the scene.

The blue turned to gold, as sky shifted into desert and the two mechs landed. In the sky above, the sound of jet engines could be heard-- along with Starscream's complaining, of course.

The two teams faced off against one another. Megatron's faceplates shifted into a scowl of determination, as he sized up the competition and predictably found them wanting. Optimus still held you carefully in his arms, as you squirmed and made unsatisfied noises. Soundwave twitched, but did not move. Bumblebee trilled quietly.

"Megatron," Optimus greeted. The tension in the clearing was thick enough to boil a college student's packet of ramen. 

"Prime," Megatron replied. The staredown continued. Above, the distant sound of jet engines could be heard again, as Starscream circled, awaiting orders for once.

Total, absolute silence dominated the area. It would have been more dramatic, if you hadn't managed to wiggle your way right out of Optimus' servos and onto the ground, landing with a heavy thunk. _Now_ the silence was electric. You shuttered your optics, big pools of light, before you began to sniffle. 

"Daddy!" You wailed. That would have been fine and good, except you were _you_ , go big or go home, which meant you decided to activated your subsonic vocalizes to blow out everyone's audio receptors for _fun_ , probably. As every bot (and human) in the area doubled over, in various stages and states of distress, Soundwave simply strolled over and scooped you up. Your warbling cries died off, and you stared at him, a smile blooming on your face. Your spark warmed immediately in his presence, and everything felt at peace.

"Yay!" You cheered, and dove in for a hug. Autobots and Decepticons alike stared in abject fascination as Soundwave hugged back. It was a touching moment. Shockwave took it upon himself to ruin it, because he was Shockwave, and you probably deserved it for harassing him all those times before.

"Device activated," He stated dispassionately over the comms. There was a faint crackle, before a pop sounded, and your tiny body jolted like it had been hit by a microburst. When you reopened your eyes-- _eyes_ , you-

"What the fuck."


	7. Pal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Ending #1

You swing your legs over the edge of the sterile lab table, "And that's what would happen if I hit that device over there!" You state. 

"What," Shockwave is speechless, literally speechless, which is a first for him. You don't seem to notice.

"I mean, come on, what other use would that kinda thing have? That's gotta be a Baby Ray," You nod in a sage-like way. Shockwave, well, he just slowly rests his servos on the edge of the table as he stares at you unblinkingly. He also has like one eye, so, not really that impressive.

The door to the lab slides open, and Soundwave enters. He looks at the scene before him, before walking over to you and extending his servo. You hop on.

"Later, Shockwave!" You wave. He doesn't respond. That's fine, that happens sometimes when you talk to someone for too long.

"Annnyway, Sounders, boy howdy do I have a story for you," You whistle. And, at the end, you sneak in a very quiet, "Fight me daddy."


	8. Padre?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate ending #2

It was a confusing affair, getting back to the Decepticon base. Your mind was swirling with memories, things that didn’t make sense. It was a little like trying to shove the square peg in the circle hole, except the peg was everything that had happened over the last few days, and your head was... well, maybe a bucket. You were really tired and couldn’t do metaphors. 

At least, the Autobots hadn’t really tried to stop Soundwave when he picked you up. Nor did they try to stop the rest of the Decepticons when they peaced out via Groundbridge. Truth to truth, you weren’t sure if they even knew what had just happened. By the time you were back at base, stuff had started to make a little more sense. You rubbed your eyes, squinting, before awkwardly touching your throat. It felt like something was missing. When you were safely in the medical bay, Soundwave beside you, you finally spoke.

“So, Sounders,” You began, crinkling your nose, “Did that really...happen? Like, that happened. I’m not just going crazy.”

“ _Daddy_?” Soundwave replayed a clip of...you? Your voice. Your weird, robotic voice. You inhaled sharply, because you really didn’t know how you felt about...everything. The whole thing. You had a killer headache, at least. 

“You were the most darling little sparkling”, Knock Out stated, picking up some data pads and typing on them, “But, I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“Why aren’t we more concerned about this?” Your voice cracked. Since when were you the most concerned person in the room? 

“Danger: home. Casualties: negatory. Safety of human assured=mission successful,” Soundwave used a robotic voice for that statement. You squinted.

“So...what you’re saying is that, ‘shit happens?” You ventured.

A pause.

“ _Shit happens_ ,” Played your voice from Soundwave. And despite your throbbing headache, how ridiculous the entire thing was (why did Shockwave even have that device?), you found yourself smiling. And, finally, you laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After several months, I’ve decided to plop down another ending. The original ending was...unsatisfactory for me. I wrote it in a rush, and so it didn’t feel worth it. So, now there’s two. One where it was a weird dream, the other reality. Hope you all enjoyed!


End file.
